Net Making and Net Fishing in FloridaDocuments

Billy Burbank III, Net Maker

In a July 1980 interview conducted by folklorist Peggy Bulger, longtime net maker and Fernandina resident Billy Burbank III discusses the history and practices of the net making trade. The interview begins with Burbank describing how his grandfather began the family business, Burbank Trawl Makers Inc., in 1915.

In 1898, Governor William D. Bloxham appointed a commission to enforce the laws and provide for the preservation, protection and propagation of the fish and shellfish industries of the state. This is the first annual report issued by the commissioners.

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